excellence causes us some doubt in ascribing it to his unaided hand; and we may observe at the same time an equal difference in the merit of his own painted pieces. The small bowl here engraved is of about this period, and is characteristic of a style of ornament commonly found upon Gubbio ware.
This is now at South Kensington. We add also another piece, no. 8906; well worth the attention of a student, as exhibiting the full power
attainable by the introduction of the lustre tints. The yellow has a full rich golden tone, and the ruby a pure vivid red.
Passeri states that Giorgio brought the secret of the ruby lustre with him from Pavia, and M. Jacquemart infers that he must have produced works at Pavia before going to Gubbio; but we are inclined to think with Mr. Robinson that it was from an artist previously working at Gubbio that he acquired the art and the monopoly of the ruby tint; and it is by no means improbable that this artist, or his predecessor, may have emigrated from Pesaro as stated above. The following conclusions arrived at by Mr. Robinson after the careful study of a vast number of examples of the Gubbio and other works are endorsed by the writer, who, having contributed some few of the facts upon which those conclusions were based, has himself examined the contents of the principal European collections. Those conclusions are:—
1st. That maestro Giorgio did not invent the ruby lustre, but succeeded to and monopolized the use of a pigment, used by an earlier artist of Gubbio.
2d. That the signed works were really painted by several distinct hands.
3d. That his own work may be distinguished with approximate certainty.